Leveling-instrument



(No Model.)

J. D. HAITI-1000K & W. T. SUIT.

LEVEL-um INSTRUMENT. No. 333.009. Patented'Deo. 22, 1885.-

By J.

N. PETERS. Phmu'lilhogr'phan Wlihingkm. D. C.

I UNITED STATES PATENT, OF ICE.

JOHN D. HAITHGOOK AND WILLIAM T. SUIT, OF WILTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

LEVELlNG-INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 333,009, datedDecember 22, 1885.

Application filed September 19, 1885. Serial N 0. 177,599.

(N 0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN D. HAITHOOGK and WM. THOMAS SUIT, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Wilton, in the county of Granville andState of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement inLeveling-Instruments, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention has relation toimprovements in leveling-instruments; andthe novelty consists inthe construction, combination, arrangement,andadaptation of the various parts for service, substantially ashereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Our invention has primarily for its object to provide aleveling-instrumentwhich shall compactly fold for transportation; whichshall be capable of use in allkinds of weather and not be affected bythe wind; which shall combine simplicity, strength, and durability ofvconstruction with cheapness and ease of manufacture; which shalldispense with the ordinary plumb at present in use in this class ofdevices, and which shall be thoroughly effective in operation. Y Wehaveshown an embodiment of our invention in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a front elevation of ourimproved leveling-instrument.Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged detail views of parts of our improvements.Fig. 4 isa view of the device folded and ready for transportation. Fig.5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line a: m of Fig. 1'.

Referring by letter to the drawings, in which like letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the figures, A A designate theuprights which comprise the supportingstandards to the device, saiduprights being hinged together at their upper ends, as at a, to adaptthem to lie close together and parallel when they are folded, as shownin Fig. 4, and to be arranged at an angle to each other when in positionfor use.

B B designate supporting-blocks arranged at or near the upper ends ofthe standards A, said blocks being hinged together at their lowermeeting edges, as at b, and pivoted to the standards A, as at b. Theouter lower ends of said blocks are arranged or cut away to lie theouter surfaces of the said parallel with the outer edges of thestandards A, and at their inner ends said blocks are cut away to allowtheir edges to meet or abut when the standards A are extended, thuspreventing them from spreadihg apart too far.

0 O designate transverse bars arranged at or near the middle of theuprights A and piv= oted thereto at their outer ends, as at c, said barsbeing hinged or pivoted together at their inner ends, as at c, andadapted to lie ina horizontal position when the legs or uprights A areopened and in a vertical position against standards when they. areclosed. (See Fig. 4.) The blocks and bars are of the same width as thestandards A, and when the device is folded for transportation they lieflush with the side edges of said standards and parallel therewith andwith each other. I v

D D designate brackets secured at or near the middleof one of the bars 0near their inner hinged ends. The brackets D are each secured to one ofthe bars 0 and provided with an inwardly projecting arm, 03, which areadapted to or opening 0, through between the arms d and the arms whichopening a rod adapted to pass when the device is unfolded. The arm E ispivoted at its upper end preferably to one of the stop-blocks B, as ate, and is arranged in a vertical position and free to oscillate or moveback and forth in the space between the arms d of the brackets and thebar 0.

or bar, E, is

abut or meet and provide a space F designates a spirit-tube secured onthe I v I rod E a little above the brackets D, said tube being arrangedin a horizontal plane and at right angles to the pivoted bar or arm E.The tube F is arranged in a case, f, which is provided on its rearsurface with projectng lugs g g at each end, and a middle lug, h, hav 5ing a threaded aperture in which an adjusting tightening-nut, 2', works,and is adapted to bear on a horizontal plate or arm, j, secured at oneend to the rod or bar E. The lugs g g and h bear on the plate j andserve to prevent the case of the spirit-tube ment. The spirit-tube isprovided with the usual air-bubble and spirits of any preferredwell-known character.

The frame of the device is first rested on the hillside, and the fall orinclination thereof secure a level in the tube, of one-half of an inchof can be ascertained by adjusting the pivoted carrying-arm until thedesired level in the spirit-tube has been secured and noting the figureon the scale. The level in the tube and fall or inclination of -theground can also be ascertained by elevating the lowermost upright of theframe until the bubble in the spirit-tube indicates the horizontalitythereof, and inserting a block, J, of the required thickness under suchelevated unsupported upright of the frame, the thickness of the blockindicating the fall or inclination of the ground on which the frame isrested.

To illustrate the use of the scale, suppose it indicates that thepivoted carrying arm and tube has been moved one-eighth of an inch to afall or inclination ground is indicated, and if the scale indicates thatthe pivoted arm has been moved one-fourth of an inch a fall orinclination of one inch is indicated, and so on in proportion, theseproportions being employed for convenience on the device shown herein,owing to the limited extent of the scale and the ordinarily steepinclination or fall of the hillside, and we will proceed to describe itsoperation in connection with work of this character; but it is obviousthat it can be used in other relations with equal advantages. It isfrequently a difficult matter in work of this character to find a levelplace, but we obviate this difficulty by using a series of graduatedblocks, one of which is represented at J in Fig. 1. The frame is helduntil a level has been secured and established, when a block of therequired thickness is inserted under one of the uprights of the framei.e., the upright which -rests above the ground. The oscillating pivotedspirit-tube-carrying arm is then adjusted to the required degree untilthe fall has been ascertained. To illustrate, suppose one of the legs iselevated half an inch above the other, a block of that thickness isinserted under the elevated leg, and the bar E is adjusted an eighth ofan inch, thus showing that the fall is one-half an inch, and if the armor bar is moved one-fourth of an inch the fall is one inch, and so on inproportion.

To fold the device for transportation, press ure is exerted downward onthe hinged pivoted bars 0 and upward on the hinged pivoted blocks B oron the rod E, which will permit the uprights Ato be brought together andthe blocks and bars to lie-parallel with the uprights, as shown.

It will be observed that the deviceis very simple, strong, and durablein construction, is efiicient in operation, entirely dispenses with theemployment of a plumb-line, compactly and readily folds fortransportation and storage, is light and portable, and cheap and easy ofmanufacture.

Various changes in the form and proportion of parts and details ofconstruction may be made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing the advantages of our invention, the essential features ofwhich will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken inconnection with the drawings.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to'secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, rights, supporting-bars pivoted to the uprights andhinged together at their inner meeting ends, and a pivotedspirit-tube-carrying arm, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the pivoted uprights, transverse horizontalbars pivoted thereto, brackets secured to said bars, a pivotedoscillating bar, and a spirit-tube secured thereon, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, with the hinged uprights, horizontal bars pivotedthereto and hinged together at their meeting edges, brackets havinginwardly-extending arms,a pivoted bar, and a spirit-tube mounted thereonabove the plane of the bars, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the hinged uprights, blocks D,pivoted to saiduprights and hinged together, bars 0, arranged below the blocks B andpivoted to the uprights at their outer ends and hinged together at theirmeeting edges, one of said bars having a series of apertures, bracketsD, having arms d, and secured to the bars 0, and one provided with ascale, a vertical bar pivoted to the blocks D,and a spirittube securedto said bar, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D. HAITI-1000K. WILLIAM T. SUIT.

Witnesses:

R. W. LASSITEB, T. M. WASHINGTON.

with the hinged up

